Is the Government trying to do a quick fix stitch-up with NHS IT service before the election?

Well I believe it is. - Yesterday in the post I received a letter and a booklet from the NHS, explaining about a new wheeze they intend to set in place. It's called the NHS Summary Care Record. They want to hold on the internet a central database of Summary Care Records (SCRs) for NHS patients. See http://www.nhscarerecords.nhs.uk/about .

The letter and booklet explain over and over and over again that if you are in agreement with having your records on the internet that you need to do nothing. There's less information about what to do if, like me, you don't trust the security of sensitive personal details being put onto the internet.

If you don't want your health records to be put onto the internet, given the government's deplorable history of lax security of personal data, then you can ring your GP surgery and make your wishes known, or you can download a form from that http://www.nhscarerecords.nhs.uk/about website and fill it in and post it.

This article on BBC News questions the Conservative Party's claim that the "government is trying to fix a quick deal with suppliers for its controversial £12.7bn NHS IT programme ahead of the next General Election". "Industry insiders and the Conservative Party allege the deals, which would be in place by the end of March, would "tie the hands" of whoever forms the next government."

"Shadow health minister Stephen O'Brien told File on 4 that Whitehall is trying to reset these contracts within the next four weeks, which could make it harder for whoever forms the next administration to cancel them."

You may like to listen to File on 4 tonight for further insight and information about this matter.

File on 4 is broadcast on BBC Radio 4 on Tuesday, 2 March 2010, at 2000 GMT, repeated Sunday, 7 March, at 1700 GMT. You can listen via the BBC iPlayer or download the podcast.